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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. branch — a division
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. stem — to come from
  11. bulb — for light
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. band — a ring
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. squash — to crush
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. dip — to sink
  18. band — a music group
  19. wound — an injury
  20. bulb — for light
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. squash — the sport
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. lean — to bend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com